Heroic Deeds
by Ayisha1
Summary: A BtVS/AtS/Smallville crossover; Buffy left Sunnydale and moved to Smallville
1. Prologue

Heroic Deeds

By Ayisha

Author's Notes: I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. An AtS/BtVS/Smallville crossover, some parts are AU; the rest will be explained in the story. Some parts of S5 and S6 for Buffy; S3 and S4 for Angel.

Prologue:

I felt a sob rise up to my throat as I heard the song playing on the radio on my way to the airport. It has been two weeks and I still can't get it out of my mind.

He didn't love me anymore; he had moved on with his life.

Angel, my Angel, doesn't belong to me anymore. He belongs to Cordelia. And his son, Conner.

You have no idea what I felt when I saw the three of them together. I had ran away from Sunnydale to LA in hopes of making all of my problems go away. After I was resurrected from the dead, I was such a mess that I didn't know what to do. I had to go away.

So I came to LA. To Angel.

But the moment I opened the door to Angel Investigations, I saw them.

And my heart broke into pieces.

He was kissing Cordelia passionately, with his son sleeping in the corner. They didn't notice that I was there, nor did he feel my presence.

Which led me to believe that he doesn't have any feelings for me anymore.

Why Angel? After all the things that we've been through, why did you have to throw it all away? Why did you have to leave and let me face all of this alone?

Why did you love Cordelia and forgotten about me?

I couldn't take the pain so I ran out of the Hyperion Hotel, crying. Only to bump into Wesley.

"Buffy!" Wesley said, surprised and shocked at the same time. "What are you doing here?" He then noticed my tears. He only had to take one look at me to know what was going on.

He looked at me kindly. "I know it must be hard for you. Would you like me to tell you everything?"

I nodded, sniffling. Wesley took me to the nearest restaurant and told me everything that had happened in LA. He told me about Wolfram and Hart, Angel's shanshu, Darla's resurrection, and how Conner came about. He told me about Fred and Gunn, the Host, Anne, Angel and Cordelia. When he had finished, I just stared at him in disbelief.

"Are you alright?" Wesley asked.

"I'd be lying if I told you I was," I replied. I looked at him earnestly. "Why didn't Angel tell me about any of this? Don't you think I have the right to know?"

He sighed. "He didn't want to, Buffy. He wanted you to have a normal life. He thought you had moved on."

"He doesn't know anything." I said. "Do you know how many times I've wondered what has happened to him? Why he doesn't stay in touch and tell me what's happening? There are many nights that I have lied awake in bed and wondering if he's still okay. If he's still alive." I laughed bitterly. "Only to find out that his life is perfect while mine is going down the drain."

Wesley took my hand. "Buffy, you know that's not true."

"Isn't it?" I snapped. "Look at him, Wesley. He has a son, something he has always wanted. He has Cordelia who loves him and they have their own little family. He has you, Wesley. Also Gunn and Fred, who cares for him. He's nearing his redemption and he would be human again. He's living the life he always wanted to have."

"While I, on the other hand," I spat out. "Was resurrected from the dead only to wake up in a coffin six feet under the ground. To live again with Giles in England, my mother dead, Dawn not knowing what to do around me, Xander and Anya preparing their wedding and doesn't give a damn about me, and Willow messing up with her magic. The only two people who actually cared I was back were Tara and Spike. Tara, who left Sunnydale because Willow's magic is getting out of hand and Spike, who I'm fucking with."

Wesley's head snapped at that but I ignored it. "Spike, who I've been sleeping with almost every night because he understands what I going through. Because I needed to feel and to be loved. Only to find out that I'm just using him to replace Angel."

I looked at Wesley. "You have no idea what it feels like to be in heaven for one second and the next to a coffin which was buried six feet under the ground that I had to claw my way out of. You have no idea what it's like to have the people you care about ignore you and continue on with their lives as if nothing happened and risk my life every night as the Slayer. You don't know what it feels like to sleep at night with the lights on and to have nightmares that you're still in the coffin and can't get out. You have no idea what it's like not to feel anything but emptiness inside of you, only to find out that the first feeling you'll have after all these months was hurt and pain when you saw the love of your life kissing someone else and having the life he wanted you to have."

"So, tell me," I said bitterly. "Do you still think that Angel doesn't have the perfect life?"

Wesley couldn't say anything. He only held my hand and let me cry out my pain and suffering.

"What are you doing here, Buffy?" Wesley asked me an hour later.

"I needed to leave Sunnydale," I said simply. "They don't need me anymore." I was silent for awhile. "I had planned to stay with Angel and ask for his help but I don't think I can do that anymore."

"What do you want to do?" Wesley asked.

I looked at him straight in the eye. "I want to go away."

Wesley let me stay with him while he helped me find a place where I can go. He didn't tell where I was even if my friends had already called Angel and asked if they could find me.

"I can't stay here anymore, Wesley." I told him one night. It has been two weeks after I came to LA. "I don't want them to find me and drag me to Sunnydale again."

Wesley nodded. "I won't let them, Buffy. I give you my word."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked him.

"Because I want to." Wesley answered simply. "And besides, I owe you for all the things I've done while I was still your Watcher."

I smiled at him. "I've already forgiven you."

I stared at Wesley in disbelief. "I'm what?"

"You're going to Kansas," Wesley said firmly. He looked at me closely. "That's the only place I can send you to in short notice, I'm afraid."

"Where, exactly, in Kansas?" I asked him.

"Smallville," he replied.

"Why?"

"Because it's the only place Angel and your friends wouldn't think of finding you," Wesley replied.

I spent the next day buying all the things necessary for me to have. On the other hand, Wesley spent the day making arrangements for my stay in Smallville.

Wesley and I decided to have dinner together in the same restaurant he took me to the first time. He looked exhausted. "Everything's settled. I've already bought your ticket. You're leaving on Tuesday."

"I don't know how to thank you for all of this, Wesley."

"Buffy, you don't have to," he replied. "It's the least I could do to ease your pain."

I was about to say something else, when I sensed him. I stood up from my seat. "Angel's here." And sure enough, he entered the restaurant and saw Wesley. He didn't find me because I left with my food using the window in the ladies' room as my escape route.

A few hours later, Wesley went back to his apartment. "He thinks you're in LA." 

"There's nothing new about that." I replied.

Wesley shook his head. "He has a feeling that you're nearby. He thinks I know something." He paced back and forth. "It took everything out of me to look him in the eye and lie."

"Did he believe you?" I asked.

Wesley nodded. "Yes, he did. I don't know how I managed, but I did." He looked at me. "We can't risk it, Buffy. You have to leave tonight. You can't stay here for another day."

"But how? My ticket is for Tuesday."

Wesley picked up the phone. "I'm calling the airport. You better pack your things."

An hour later, Wesley is driving me to the airport. He managed to have me in the last flight out of LA.

"Passengers of Flight 149 to Metropolis, please come to the gate."

Wesley looked at me. "As soon as you land in Metropolis, drive to Smallville or ask someone to take you there." He reached something out of his pocket. "Here's $500."

I stared at him. "I can't take this, Wesley."

Wesley shook his head. "Take it, Buffy. It would help you." He looked at me. "Take care of yourself."

I nodded. "I will." I took his hand. "Thanks for everything, Wesley."

"Don't mention it." He said. "It's the least I could do."

I hugged him. After a few seconds, I turned and walked into the gate leading to the plane.

"Buffy." I turned around. "You're going to be fine."

"I know." And with that, I walked into the plane, leaving everything that I care about behind.

As soon as Buffy's plane boarded, Wesley left the airport, knowing that Buffy would be safe.

At the other side of town, Angel found a girl whom he assumed was Buffy. And she was dead.

That night, a man cried for the life of another while a woman boarded a plane that would never come back to LA. It crashed right before it landed in Metropolis, Kansas.


	2. Chapter 1

****

Heroic Deeds

By Ayisha

__

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. Smallville doesn't belong to me, either.

****

Author's Notes 1: An AtS/BtVS/Smallville crossover, some parts are AU; the rest will be explained in the story.

****

Author's Notes 2: I'm a fan of all three shows and this idea came up to me a long while ago. I don't know if I'm going to continue it, so feedback would be very much appreciated.

****

Summary: Buffy left Sunnydale and came to Smallville

****

Chapter 1:

__

"Life is a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."—Forrest Gump 

He's been having dreams a lot lately. He didn't know why it bothered him so much. He was supposed to be used to them by now, seeing that he always had them.

But these were different.

Clark frowned at that thought. He had woken up with the face of the girl still clear in his mind.

A strange thing for someone who always dreamt of long-ago faraway planets. It was certainly a long shot from what he was used to.

It was the face of a girl.

If it was Lana Lang's, Clark's longtime crush, he wouldn't be thinking so much. But it wasn't. Then he thought that maybe the girl was just a figment of what he thought his race looked like.

But the girl looked entirely human.

So is he, Clark reminded himself. But he couldn't shake the feeling that he was supposed to know the girl.

That he was supposed to help her.

"Clark, the bus would be here any second now!"

At his mother's shout, Clark tore his gaze away from the ceiling. "Coming, mom!" He got out of bed, into the shower, into clean clothes, got his backpack and went downstairs all in two minutes. 

Martha Kent checked her watch. "Right on time, Clark." She then offered Clark a piece of toast.

Clark took it and bit onto it. He looked around. "Where's Dad?"

"He went to Metropolis."

Clark's head jerked in surprise. His father seldom went to Metropolis unless it was really important. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"There was a plane crash last night," Martha told him. "Your father decided to help the survivors. If there were any."

"It was that bad?" Clark asked.

Martha nodded. "The news told us that the plane was struck by thunder because of the storm. It was blazing when it crashed down." The blasting of a horn sounded. "Your bus is here."

Clark kissed Martha on the cheek. "I better go. I want to see who won the 5-dollar bet between Pete and Chloe."

"See you this afternoon, Clark!" Martha called out. 

When Clark was gone, Martha turned on the television to find out more about the crash. The first thing she saw was a blonde head. And then her husband's voice.

__

I found someone.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jonathan Kent looked at the young woman in front of him. Her hair was a mess, her face full of bruises and her body writhing in pain. But she was still alive.

For Jonathan, that was all that mattered.

He crouched down next to the young woman. She was bound in a stretcher ready to be brought to the Metropolis General Hospital. "Miss, are you alright? Can you hear me?"

"Must…get…out…" the woman gasped.

"It's okay. You're safe." Jonathan soothed her. 

They were sure there was no survivors. Jonathan came to Metropolis to help in the search. But they knew it was going to be fruitless. They wouldn't find someone alive; all they could do was find the bodies of those who were in the plane.

It was a lucky coincidence that he chanced upon the young woman. He had dropped his cap flashlight and was about to pick it up when he heard a moan. It came from the propeller of the plane.

Curious, he stepped cautiously to where the propeller was. From there, he saw a hand and it was moving. He quickly got rid of the propeller and some other parts of the plane. To his surprise, he found the woman lying face down. When he turned her, she was bleeding and filled with pain. 

But she was still breathing.

The woman suddenly grasped Jonathan's hand. Jonathan snapped out of his reverie and turned to the poor woman on the stretcher.

Her clear blue eyes stared right back at him. What Jonathan saw in them struck him. Her eyes were filled with pain, misery and suffering.

Jonathan knew that feeling. He had also seen those eyes somewhere before. But from someone else.

From Clark. Clark's eyes were similar to this woman's. It was as if they both carried the weight of the world upon their shoulders.

"Help…me…" the woman said in a small voice. Then the woman fainted. But not before Jonathan heard her say something else.

"Clark…"


	3. Chapter 2

****

Heroic Deeds

By Ayisha

__

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. Smallville doesn't belong to me, either.

****

Author's Notes 1: An AtS/BtVS/Smallville crossover, some parts are AU; the rest will be explained in the story.

****

Author's Notes 2: Thanks to everyone who reviewed and actually liked the fic. I really appreciate it. 

****

Summary: Buffy left Sunnydale and came to Smallville. 

****

Chapter 2:

Even in her sleep, she couldn't have her peace.

Memories flashed through her mind. Angel. Wesley. The airport. The plane crashing. People screaming and yelling. Her getting a parachute. Then darkness.

That's when she saw him. She was lying face down. He crouched in front of her and held out his hand.

__

Where am I? What am I doing here? She heard herself ask him.

__

I don't know. He answered. _I don't even know what I'm doing here._

He had an innocent face yet what bothered her the most were his eyes. It was filled with pain yet it was also filled with hope. He smiled at her and from there, she had a feeling she could trust him.

__

Who are you? She asked.

__

My name's Clark. Clark Kent.

___________________________________________________________________________________________ 

"Mr. Kent!"

Pete Ross elbowed Clark. Startled, Clark jerked back. He looked around his surroundings. His classmates were all staring at him.

"Glad you can join us, Mr. Kent." His Chemistry teacher, Professor Matthews said. "Maybe you can explain to the class what Boyle's Law is?"

"Um, yes, Sir." Clark mumbled as he stood up. He could hear his classmates snickering. He looked at where Lana Lang was seated. Lana gave him a smile. Clark felt himself blush.

"Mr. Kent, we're waiting."

Clark turned to his teacher. He cleared his throat. "Boyle's Law is-." The bell rang signaling the end of the class.

"You must be lucky, Mr. Kent. You've just been saved by the bell." Professor Matthews turned to erase the lecture on the blackboard. "And oh, by the way, prepare for a long test tomorrow."

Groaning, the students made their way out of the classroom. They gave Clark a dirty look.

"Nice going, Kent." Chloe Sullivan said sarcastically. "Because of you, I'm going to have to study instead of investigating the plane crash."

"It wasn't my fault!" Clark said defensively. "Besides, why do you need to investigate the crash? It was struck by lightning."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Things aren't always what they seem, Clark. Don't you think you should know that by now?" She looked at her watch. "Well, see you guys later. Principal Kwan wants to see me. _Again._"

After Chloe was gone, Pete stared at Clark. "What's going on with you? You've been acting strange all week!" "Well, stranger than usual." Pete said after a pause.

"I guess I'm just tired. Working on a farm is hard work, you know." Clark lied.

Pete wasn't satisfied but he let it drop. He knew he wasn't going to get any more from his friend.

__

What is wrong with me? Clark wondered.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

She woke up screaming.

In a few minutes, the doctor came in. "What happened?" he asked the nurse in charge.

"I don't know. She was sleeping soundly and then she started screaming." The nurse replied. 

"Give her a sedative," the doctor ordered. "She can't wake up now. Not until we've finished testing."

The nurse was getting the sedative when another man came barging in. "What the hell is going on?" he roared. The screaming continued. The man glared at the nurse. "And could you please stop that noise?"

"Annie!" 

"Yes, doctor." Annie said as she hastened with the sedative. A few seconds later, the screaming stopped. Silence filled the air.

The man looked at the doctor. "I paid you to do your job well and to watch her 24/7."

"We're sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

"Be sure it wouldn't." And with that, the man left.

Annie looked at the doctor. "Why are you doing this? The girl doesn't deserve this treatment."

"Neither do we," the doctor argued. He looked at the girl in the hospital bed. He took a deep breath. "We have to be patient, Annie. We just have to be patient."

___________________________________________________________________________________________

"How much?"

He looked at the man in front of him. "Sir, that's not what I came here for."

"How much?"

He shook his head. "With all due respect, sir. I'm not interested."

"I'm losing my patience, Mr. Mayor. I'll ask you again. How much?"

"Fifty million dollars."

"Done." He offered the mayor of Metropolis a check. "Make sure no one gets ahold of this."

"The morning news have already reported about the crash, sir."

"Then make sure they don't do it again." The man said with gritted teeth. "There was no plane crash, understand?"

The mayor nodded. "Yes sir, there was no plane crash."

"Good." The man was satisfied. "You may go now."

The mayor was turned to leave. "And, Mr. Mayor? This conversation never happened."

"Of course, Mr. Luthor."

___________________________________________________________________________________________ 

"What do you mean the ambulance never came here?" Jonathan asked.

The nurse in charge of the Metropolis General Hospital looked at Jonathan. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kent, but we haven't sent out an ambulance since last night."

Jonathan took a deep breath. It had been almost five hours ever since the rescue happened. After going to the Metropolis Police Department to file a report about the woman, having lunch and calling home to check up on Martha, he decided to head to the hospital. He wanted to know the condition of the woman he had saved.

Only there was no woman.

"Then who was sent at the site of the plane crash?"

The nurse looked confused. "What plane crash?"

Jonathan frowned. "The one that was struck by lightning."

The nurse shook her head. "I'm sorry but I don't know anything about a plane crash."

Jonathan ran a hand through his hair. He didn't need to know what happened to the woman. He had done what he could by saving her. But he had questions that needed answering. 

Like how the woman knew his son's name.

Jonathan frowned. _Something strange is going on._

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Two weeks have passed ever since the so-called plane crash. Little by little, life at Metropolis and Smallville became normal again. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about the crash.

Lionel Luthor stared at the Metropolis skyline with satisfaction. 

"Mr. Luthor?"

Lionel turned around. "What?"

Annie swallowed hard. "She's awake."

___________________________________________________________________________________________

The clear blue eyes stared back at Lionel with uncertainty. The girl was young and beautiful. 

Just the way Lionel Luthor liked it.

Lionel smiled at her. "Ah. You're already awake."

The girl looked at her surroundings in confusion. "Where am I? Who are you? What am I doing here?"

"Who are you?" Lionel asked her.

The girl stared at him dumbfoundedly. Silence filled the air. And then, "I don't know." The girl whispered. "I don't know." She covered her face with her hands. "I don't remember anything!"

"Don't worry," Lionel soothed her. "I'm sure everything will work out," he smiled. "Perfectly well."


	4. Chapter 3

****

Heroic Deeds

By Ayisha

__

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. Smallville doesn't belong to me, either.

****

Author's Notes 1: Sorry it took a really long time for me to upload. I had a lot of things to do this pass couple of weeks. Sorry if this is short. I promise to make the next chapter longer.

****

Author's Notes 2: Thanks to everyone who reviewed and is still reviewing the fic. 

Regarding anonymous reviews: *looks sheepish* I am really sorry about that. I had no idea I had blocked out anonymous reviews but I've already done something about it. Anonymous reviews are now allowed.

****

Chapter 3:

__

Los Angeles, California

"Answer the phone, damn it." Wesley muttered. The phone continued ringing yet there was no answer from the other end. Wesley started to go back and forth.

"Where in the world are you?" It has been two weeks ever since Buffy left for Smallville. Since then, Wesley has been trying to get ahold of her. But to no avail. The cellphone Wesley had given Buffy before she left continued ringing.

"Who are you calling?" 

Wesley instantly turned off his cellphone. "Cordelia."

"Wesley." Cordelia Chase said as she made her way down the stairs of the Hyperion Hotel. 

"What are you doing here?" Wesley asked.

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Isn't it obvious?" She flopped down on the couch. "By the way, you still haven't answered my question."

"I'm calling a friend of mine," Wesley fibbed.

Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "At this hour?"

"My friend's from England." Normally, Wesley wouldn't feel too uncomfortable with Cordelia. But since Buffy had gone missing, she had started to become suspicious of him. It was as if she knew that he was hiding something.

That thought made Wesley uneasy.

"How is he?" Wesley asked, trying to change the subject.

Cordelia sighed. "What do you think?" She looked at the door. "Whenever I talk to him, he keeps on telling me he's alright." She paused. "But I know that's not true. No matter what he says, I know it still hurts him. He cares about her."

"And that doesn't bother you?"

Cordelia shook her head. "Strangely enough, it doesn't. Maybe because I know that Buffy was a big part of his life. She made him what he is today. Who he is. A loving and caring man. I can't change that and I don't think I ever will."

"Maybe that's what he needs to hear," Wesley said gently. "That you understand and that you're not angry about it."

Cordelia smiled ruefully. "Maybe."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

__

She's gone. Angel stared at his hands. He had seen it with his very own eyes. The vampires who had killed her. Savaged her brutally that he wouldn't have recognized her. Except for his mark on her neck.

Angel closed his eyes. _I didn't get the chance to save her. _No matter how strong he was, there was still something he can never do: save the Slayer on time.

"When are you going to stop blaming yourself?" 

Angel turned around. Cordelia had come to the room without his knowledge.

"Cordy. What are you talking about?"

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Don't play games with me, Angel. We both know who I'm talking about."

"I'm not blaming myself. I'm just-."

"What? Blaming the Powers for not informing you sooner? The circumstances? Your own capabilities?"

"I was just thinking what if I came there a few minutes earlier. I was wondering if it would've made a difference."

Cordelia took a deep breath. "You can't change what happened, Angel."

"You said that before."

"And I'm saying it again." Cordelia said. "Because I know it's true. Buffy- I didn't like her that much but she was important to you. I know that. And I know that you're hurting right now." She looked Angel in the eye. "I can't make the pain go away. But I can be here for you if you need me. If you need us. Gunn, Fred, Wesley. We're your friends. We care about you. Please remember that."

Angel smiled. "I will." A cry suddenly resounded over the room. Angel stood up from where he was seated. "Well, I guess I have to check up on Conner."

"Yeah," Cordelia nodded. "I guess you should."

Before Angel left, he gave Cordelia a kiss. "Thank you." With that, he was gone.

"You're welcome," Cordelia whispered. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

"Dawn, it is so nice to see you again!" Clarissa Hennings said.

Dawn Summers smiled as she hugged her aunt. "It's nice to see you too, aunt Clara."

"Have a seat." As Dawn obliged, her aunt did the same. "To tell you the truth, I was quite relieved to hear that you're now staying with your father. It's been almost 5 months ever since your sister passed away. Everyone was wondering why you were still staying in Sunnydale."

Dawn reminded herself that her aunt didn't know Buffy came back to life. Besides, it was still too painful to know that her sister was gone. And she would never come back. Dawn made sure of that. She didn't want Willow to bring her back. Her sister deserved to be happy wherever she was. That was the only thing they could give her after everything she's done. 

"How's Becky?" Dawn asked, trying to change the subject.

At the mention of her only daughter, Clarissa's face fell. "Your uncle Todd and Becky had a fight and she hadn't come home for almost two weeks now."

Dawn understood. Rebecca Hennings looked a lot like Buffy. In fact, they were oftentimes mistaken as twins instead of cousins. The only difference between them physically was the color of their eyes. If there was one person Dawn was closest to aside from Buffy, it was Becky.

Dawn touched her aunt's hand. "I'm sure everything will be alright, aunt Clara. We both know Becky. She always comes home."

Clarissa smiled. "Yeah. She always does, doesn't she?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You killed the wrong girl." Lindsey said it matter-of-factly.

"You said I had to finish off the Slayer," the demon said. "I did, didn't I?"

Lindsey's eyes flashed with anger. "Fool," he hissed. "Don't you think we didn't know? You were too scared to get near the Slayer. You were afraid that she would be too strong for you."

"That is not true."

Lindsey sneered. "Isn't it? You paid three vampires and told them to kill a girl who looked like the Slayer. And they succeeded, didn't they? They found someone who was an exact replica of her except for the color of her eyes. You thought we would never find out."

"Though I have to wonder why _you _didn't finish her. They said you were one of the best. Or was it just a lie?"

"I never lie." The demon said sharply. "You paid me to do my job and I did it."

"You didn't kill the person we wanted you to kill." Lindsey smiled menacingly. "And now you're going to pay the price. Dearly." 

The demon blazed into fire. He screamed in pain. 

Lindsey walked out of the room and left the demon to die.

"That was a very harsh punishment," Lilah commented as she walked beside Lindsey.

"The idiot deserved it for thinking he could deceive us."

Lilah raised an eyebrow. "Us? Don't you mean _you_? You were the one who hired him."

"_You _were the one who recommended him." Lindsey said snidely.

"What are you going to tell the higher-ups?" Lilah asked.

Lindsey stopped in front of the elevator. He turned to face Lilah. "That it worked better than we could have hoped for."

The elevator opened. Lindsey and Lilah got in. "And why is that?"

"Because the vampire thinks the Slayer is dead." A smile began to form in Lindsey's lips. "And we can use that against him."


	5. Chapter 4

****

Heroic Deeds

By Ayisha

__

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. Smallville doesn't belong to me, either.

****

Author's Notes 1: I'm introducing original characters in this chapter so sorry if it would be confusing. And I know I promised that I'd make this chapter longer, but I have writer's block so sorry about that.

Author's Notes 2: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the fic.

WhiteWolf 3: I seriously don't know. It could go anywhere. I'm just taking it one chapter at a time.

Alyssa: It's Lionel. I'm still deciding about Lex, though.

Tariq: Preferably S6/S3 for Buffy and Angel, S1 for Smallville.

****

Chapter 4:

__

Sunnydale, California

"Where should I put this?" Tara asked. She was holding a porcelain vase with Chinese symbols in it.

Willow indicated to the pile of boxes she was arranging. "You can put it right here along with the other stuff."

Tara was doing as she was told when Xander came bouncing down the stairs with Anya right behind him. "Guys, you'll never believe all the cool stuff we found at the attic."

"Yeah. There was these old dresses and pictures and oh…we found a trunk." Anya grinned. "I can't believe I'm actually cleaning the attic. It's one of those things they often do in movies…maybe we can find a hidden treasure somewhere. They often does in movies."

The four of them were at the Summers' home, packing and cleaning up the place. Since Dawn left a week ago, she had asked them to close the house down. Apparently, she had no intention of staying there anytime soon.

The phone rang. Willow picked it up. "Hello?"

"Willow?" 

"Giles." Willow looked at Tara as Anya and Xander exchanged glances.

"I'm sorry if this is the only time I've called. I've been quite busy."

"It's okay. How's England?"

"It's the same, really." There was a pause. "Is something wrong?"

Willow took a deep breath. "Giles, its Buffy."

"What happened? Is she alright?"

"She's…" Willow trailed off. Tara held her hand. "Buffy left Sunnydale a couple of weeks ago and we've been trying to find her ever since. We assumed that she went to LA so we asked Angel for his help. But it was too late."

Giles started to have a bad feeling at the pit of his stomach. "Too late for what?"

"Angel found her, Giles. With three vampires feasting on her." Willow choked. They should be used to it by now, right? It's the third time Buffy had left them.

And this would surely be the last any of them would see her or even hear from her again.

"Good lord…" Giles whispered.

"Giles, I'm sorry. We tried to call you but-."

"She just came back, for the love of god! Why did they have to take her away so soon?"

Willow felt the tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don't know, Giles. I don't know."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Young Lucy Parker was left alone at the playground. She didn't mind it since she was busy playing in the sandbox.

"Hello."

Lucy looked up and saw a nice kid smiling at her. "Hello."

"Why are you here all alone?"

"I'm waiting for my nanny. She said she would just buy some drinks and then we're going home." Lucy answered.

The kid looked around. "But I don't see her anywhere."

"That's probably because she got lost coming here. She just moved to town."

"Oh." The kid was staring at Lucy's neck. "Can I play with you?"

"I don't think that'd be a good idea."

Lucy screamed. The kid just turned to ash.

"Oh bloody hell." Spike rolled his eyes. "You save the kid's life and what does she do? She screams and _then _shecries." He found the nanny's corpse awhile ago while patrolling the particular neighborhood.

Spike lit up a cigarette and shook his head. "Vamps." He blew a puff of smoke. "They really come in different sizes." He looked at Lucy. "Where do you live, little girl?"

Lucy sniffed. "Revello Drive."

"Must be a bloody sign." Spike grumbled. "Why am I doing this anyway?" He handed Lucy a handkerchief. "Come, girlie, I'll take you home."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unbeknownst to Spike, he was being watched. 

"Is that the infamous William the Bloody?"

"Hmmm…let's see. Peroxide blond, British accent, blue eyes, snarling, smoking, sarcastic." Silence. "Yup. That's him."

"I thought he was the big bad!"

"He is! Was!" 

"Then why did he saved that girl?" 

"Maybe because he's following Angelus' footsteps?"

"He would be of no use to our cause if that's the case!"

"Don't worry, boss. We'll find someone else."

"_You_ better find someone else because you know what I'm going to do to you if you don't, understand?"

A gulp. "Yes, boss."

"Good."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Everyone in the Los Angeles penitentiary was in a panic. The siren was already sounded.

"There was an escape!" A guard shouted. "A prisoner has escaped!"

All the lights were suddenly turned on. It roamed the vicinity. The police dogs were unleashed.

Yet they couldn't see anybody. Nor could they hear anybody.

Crouching low on her back, Faith held her breath. Making sure that nobody was looking, she looked at the person in front of her. "Are you sure about this?"

"The Powers that Be have spoken." he replied. 

"The Powers that Be?"

"I am a Messenger." He replied. "And here is the message: you are free. And you have a destiny to fulfill."

Faith furrowed her brows in confusion. "I don't under-." She never got the chance to finish. The next thing she knew, she was standing in front of the Summers' home at Revello Drive. The messenger was gone.

"Faith, isn't it?" 

Faith turned around. It was Spike. "Well, well, well. The rogue Slayer has finally returned." He blew a puff of smoke. "You here to take the Slayer's place?"

All Faith could do was stare at him.


	6. Chapter 5

****

Heroic Deeds

By Ayisha

__

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. Smallville doesn't belong to me, either.

****

Chapter 5:

__

Metropolis, Kansas

"How is the treatment?" Lionel asked as he stared through the open glass window.

"It's going very well, Mr. Luthor." The doctor replied. "The patient is being very cooperative."

"Good." He watched the girl walked through the garden. "What about her identifications?"

There was a pause. "It's being taken care of, Mr. Luthor."

"Do I sense a certain hesitation, doctor?"

"I have to tell you the truth. The girl has temporary amnesia."

"And what does that mean?"

The doctor took a deep breath. "Sooner or later, she would remember everything that happened."

"Then we just have to do something about that, won't we?"

The doctor gulped. Then he nodded slowly. "I guess so, Mr. Luthor."

"I'm glad that's understood." Lionel turned around. "What did you name her?"

The doctor took a deep breath. "We named her Angelica McGregor, Mr. Luthor."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

__

Angelica. Buffy ran the name in her head. _Angelica McGregor. _That was the name given to her. The name she would be called from that day forward. 

She picked up a flower and held it. She wanted to remember what happened. _Needed _to remember. The doctor said it would only take a matter of time.

She had a feeling it would take forever. 

Buffy had her instincts. And her instinct was telling her not to trust the people who were taking care of her.

Buffy closed her eyes. If she tried really hard, she could see names and images flashing through her mind.

__

Sunnydale. Hellmouth. Slayer.

"Angelica?"

The minute she opened her eyes, her mind went blank. All of the memories faded away. Try as she might, she couldn't bring them back. She couldn't remember.

"Is something wrong?" Annie asked. After one month of taking care of her, the girl became like a daughter to her. 

It broke her heart to see the girl try to remember everything yet to no avail. Annie felt helpless.

Buffy took a deep breath. She shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong." She smiled. "You don't need to worry about me, Annie."

Annie nodded. "I know. But I can't help it." She looked towards the open-glass window. "Mr. Luthor wants to talk to you, Angelica."

"I see." Buffy started to walk with Annie in tow. "Can I ask you something, Annie?"

"Sure."

"Why did you name me Angelica?"

Annie stopped walking then turned to look at her. "Because you kept calling out the name Angel in your sleep." 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Angelica. Have a seat." Lionel said.

She did as she was asked. After a month of knowing him, she knew that Lionel Luthor wasn't the kind of man to be trusted. But since he _was _the one paying for her treatment, she should be grateful.

She imagined that Lionel was expecting her to be. She really had to be careful around him.

"How are you?" Lionel asked.

"I'm feeling fine, Mr. Luthor." 

"Lionel. Call me Lionel."

She nodded. "Why did you want to talk to me, Lionel?"

Lionel had to smile. If there was one thing about the girl, he knew she had wit. _Beauty and brains._ A very interesting combination. 

One he could use to his advantage. 

"Did I ever tell you I had a son?"


	7. Chapter 6

****

Heroic Deeds

By Ayisha

__

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. Smallville doesn't belong to me, either.

****

Author's Notes: Sorry it took me this long to upload. I've just been very busy. But thank you to everyone who has reviewed this fic. I really appreciate it.

****

Chapter 6:

__

Smallville, Kansas

"Your mother told me I'd find you here."

Clark glanced up from the book he was reading. "Lex? When did you come back from your business trip?"

Lex looked at his watch. "Precisely three hours ago." He roamed around the barn. "And since I'm on my way to town, I decided to drop by the Kent farm."

"Giving me a lift to town?" Clark asked.

"To The Talon, actually." Lex answered. "But apparently, you're busy with a book." He read the title. "Interesting. Since when did you start reading about dream interpretations?"

"Since I started having a lot of them," Clark replied.

"Want to tell me about it?"

"I wouldn't know where to start."

Lex shrugged. "The trip to town would be long. That is, if you're going."

Clark sighed as he closed the book. "I have nothing better to do anyway." He paused. "Besides, Lana's there."

Lex smirked. "Just as I thought."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Buffy stared at the sign in front of her.

__

Wanted: Waitress

It caught her attention because of one thing. It didn't have any requirements. Which was a good thing because she didn't have any experience.

Not that she remembered, anyway.

Buffy frowned. She still couldn't understand why Lionel Luthor had wanted her to come to this small town in the middle of nowhere. 

__

Smallville. The name sounded familiar. If only she knew why.

She had left Metropolis almost a week ago. She should feel happy that she was finally free. Free to do whatever she wanted.

Or most likely, to do what _Lionel _wanted.

He gave her a house to stay in but didn't give her a job. There has to be a reason why. 

__

Did I ever tell you I had a son? What has that got to do with it? Buffy wondered. She didn't know what to make of Lionel. But her instinct is telling her to be careful around him.

And she's going to follow it. 

With a sigh, she took one last look at the sign and entered The Talon.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"A girl?"

Clark nodded. "Yeah. It wouldn't be weird if it wasn't for the fact that I've never seen her before."

"And you've been dreaming about her?"

"For almost a month now."

Lex was silent as he made the turn to town. "Some people say dreams are just a figment of our imagination. We dream because our mind tend to create images in our sleep."

Clark looked at him. "Do you agree with that?"

"I might. It depends."

"On what?"

"My beliefs." Lex replied. "We have our own explanations for everything. Such us who created the universe. There are different theories regarding that in science. But when it comes to religion, they also have their own explanation."

"So what are you trying to say?"

"We always try to find an explanation for the things that we find mysterious," Lex answered. "Only to realize that sometimes, it's better to just leave it alone."

"You mean to say that I should just forget about it?"

Lex parked his convertible in front of The Talon. "The thing you're looking for would come to you, Clark. You just have to wait for it."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Need some help?"

Lana Lang looked at the person in front of her. The girl had long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was a few years older than she was and she also seemed new in Smallville.

Buffy grinned at the brunette sheepishly. "I read the sign on the front door and I was wondering if the offer is still open."

"You're interested in becoming a waitress here?" Lana asked her.

Buffy nodded. "I just moved here and I'm looking for a job. It seems like this is the only thing that I can find."

Lana smiled at her. "Most people in Smallville either have their own farms or work for LuthorCorp."

__

LuthorCorp. Lionel Luthor. 

"What's your name?" 

The question caught Buffy off guard. _I don't know. _"Angelica McGregor." It sounded strange even to her.

"Angelica, I'm Lana Lang. I'm managing the Talon. And as you can see, I'm very short of staff." Lana extended her hand. "When can you start?"

"How about now?" Buffy said as her eyes roamed the place. 

Lana beamed at her. "Great." Suddenly, the door to The Talon opened. "Well, you can take the orders of those two gentlemen who entered."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

As soon as Clark entered, he saw Lana serving cappuccinos to a couple of customers. She looked at his direction and smiled.

"Earth to Clark."

"What?" Clark said.

Lex chuckled. "You have it bad." 

They took their usual seats and waited for someone to take their order. Preferably Lana.

"May I take your orders?" a new voice asked. Lana was busy that she didn't have time to talk to them.

Clark sighed. He felt as if the trip to town had been for nothing. He turned to the waitress to give him his order.

His mouth dropped open. Clark wondered if he was dreaming. It certainly felt like it.

The girl standing in front of him was the one from his dreams.


	8. Chapter 7

****

Heroic Deeds

By Ayisha

__

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. Smallville doesn't belong to me, either.

****

Author's Notes 1: Some readers have noticed that I'm going too fast with my story so I'm going to slow the pace a bit. And for those people who don't know what Smallville is, it is a series that tells the story of Clark Kent when he was still in high school and before he became Superman.

****

Author's Notes 2: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed the fic. I really appreciate your suggestions and comments.

****

Author's Notes 3: By the way, I'm just wondering who would you like Buffy to end up with? 

****

Chapter 7:

__

Smallville, Kansas

Clark couldn't help staring at the girl in front of him.

__

It's her, he thought. _It's really her._

Buffy frowned. "Is there something in my face?"

"Huh?" Clark broke out from his reverie.

Buffy smiled. "You keep looking at me." And for some unknown reason, she didn't seem to feel uncomfortable about it. In fact, she felt safe around the teenager. Like she was being…protected.

Clark grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry. You just remind me of someone." There was no point in telling her she looked like the girl from his dreams.

"You must be new here."

Buffy turned around. A suave bald man who was more or less the same age as her confronted her. She didn't know what to make of him. 

She nodded. "Yeah, I am."

"Are these two keeping you?" It was Lana.

Clark's grin broadened. "Not really. We were just curious."

"Yeah." Lex replied. "It's not often we come face to face with two beautiful ladies."

Lana shook her head. "You guys sure know how to flatter a girl."

"Only those that we find…flattering."

"Angelica, meet Clark Kent and Lex Luthor." Lana said. "Guys, this is Angelica McGregor."

__

Lex Luthor. Lionel Luthor. Lex was Lionel's son.

Clark held out a hand. "Nice meeting you."

Buffy took it. "Same here." She looked at Lex who smiled and nodded at her. _There's something about him, _she thought. _Is he like his father?_

"Have you taken their orders yet?" Lana asked.

"No, I haven't. But I'll do it now." Buffy told her.

As she wrote down Clark and Lex's orders, Buffy couldn't help wondering what she was suppose to do now.

All she knew was that she was going to hear from Lex's beloved father soon.

After all, the spy Lionel Luthor hired to follow her was discrete.

But not discrete enough for her not to notice.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

__

Los Angeles, California

Wesley was panicking. Almost two months had gone by and he still has no word whatsoever from Buffy.

Something had gone wrong.

He didn't want to think of the inevitable. But he had to face the facts.

Buffy had gone missing. And Wesley has no choice but to take action.

Whether alone or not was the problem.

__

Should I tell them? Wesley wondered. _Should I tell them the truth?_

"Earth to Wesley." Gunn said. Wesley didn't respond. "Wesley?" Gunn waved his hand in front of him. "Wesley!"

"What?" Wesley finally snapped out of it.

Gunn frowned. "Is something wrong?" These past few weeks, Wesley hasn't been himself. 

Wesley shook his head. "Of course there isn't. I just lack sleep with all the research we were doing."

That was true. People had different ways of coping with grief. Angel's way of coping with it was to keep busy. If he wasn't taking care of Conner, he was fighting. Whatever he found strange, with or without the help of Cordelia's visions, he would investigate. And of course, Wesley was in charge of research.

Not that he minded. Not at all. It kept his thoughts at bay. But especially, it kept him from thinking about what happened to Buffy.

Wesley needed to do something about it. He just didn't know how. But it wasn't the time to think about it. 

Gunn looked doubtful. "Are you sure? You can tell me about it if you want to."

"There's nothing to tell," Wesley insisted. "I'm fine."

****

CRASH!

Gunn and Wesley went to the direction of the noise. They found Cordelia on the floor with Fred beside her. Around them, shards of broken glass scattered.

"What happened?" Gunn asked.

Fred looked helpless. "I don't know," Fred said. "Cordelia just…broke down."

Angel was there a moment later with Conner in his arms. When he saw Cordy, he quickly gave his son to Fred and knelt down to the other side of Cordelia. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Cordelia nodded weakly. "I'm fine. I just had a vision."

"Are you sure?" Angel asked her.

Cordelia smiled at him. "Yeah. But you need to pack your things soon."

"Why?"

Cordelia took a deep breath. "Because we're going somewhere. And you're not going to believe where it is."

"Where?"

"Sunnydale."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

__

Sunnydale, California

It was late at night and Faith was busy patrolling at the graveyard. And so far, she had staked over five vampires now. The vampiric activity in Sunnydale was more active than ever.

Faith sighed. She still has no idea what she was doing here. Or rather, why she was taking over Buffy's role as the Slayer.

Not that she minded it. Faith figured it was one way of repaying Buffy for the sins she had done. And besides, she had missed the rush of adrenaline that comes through her whenever she hunted for her prey.

But unlike before, Faith was more subdued. At least, she _thinks_ before she _acts_. Something she learned from her time in jail.

Faith frowned. It still amazed her that Willow and the others didn't call the police the minute they opened the door to the Summers' home and found her with Spike. 

__

They needed her. That much was certain. Even with Spike around, the Slayerettes still can't protect Sunnydale from all of its night creatures. They needed someone with supernatural strength to do it. They needed the Slayer.

And apparently, Faith was the replacement. She wouldn't have escaped from prison if she didn't have a destiny to fulfill. The messenger told her as much. 

But that didn't mean that she was welcomed. She had to find a place to stay _and _a job. She's currently living in Angel's mansion while working at the Magic Shop. At least until she found something that would be more suitable.

Faith turned around a corner when she heard the faint rustling of leaves. She stopped walking and felt her senses ticking in. Someone was there.

She held her breath. She could hear the footsteps coming toward her. As the steps got closer, she hid behind the bushes.

It was a vampire. Her senses were telling her as much. She waited as the vampire made his way to where she was and stopped. He seemed to be looking for something.

Without a thought, Faith jumped into him. The vampire was clearly surprised because he staggered. _He was strong, _Faith noted. _But the element of surprise caught him off guard._

A second later, the vampire was lying on the ground with the stake coming towards him. But before Faith could stake him in the heart, the vampire stopped her.

"Don't."

Faith's eyes grew wide as she recognized the voice. She quickly heaved off the vampire and stared at him in surprise. "Angel? What are you doing here?"

Angel stood up and looked at her. "Funny. I should ask you the same question."


	9. Chapter 8

****

Heroic Deeds

By Ayisha

__

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. Smallville doesn't belong to me, either.

****

Author's Notes 1: An AtS/BtVS/Smallville crossover, some parts are AU; the rest will be explained in the story. I'm a fan of all three shows and this idea came up to me a long while ago. I don't know if I'm going to continue it, so feedback would be very much appreciated.

****

Author's Notes 2: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story. I really appreciate it.

****

Summary: Buffy left Sunnydale and came to Smallville. 

****

Chapter 8:

__

Sunnydale, California

Angel took her by surprise. Faith had to admit as much. She didn't like it more than she liked fidgeting.

Which was exactly what she was doing.

Angel carefully observed her from where he was standing. He and the others have just arrived from Los Angeles five hours after midnight. Right after Cordelia had her vision, all of them had immediately set off for Sunnydale when dusk came.

Only to find his old mansion occupied without his knowledge. And when they discovered that the things they found were Faith's, Angel had a feeling that Buffy was already replaced.

With a girl who was supposed to be in jail.

"I'm waiting."

"Why are you here?"

So they were going to do this her way. "Cordelia had a vision." Angel didn't elaborate. Not until he knew what the vision was about.

Faith raised her eyebrows. "You're not going to tell me what it is, are you?"

"Faith."

Faith sighed. "It's a long story."

"Good. You can tell me all about it on the way to the mansion." Angel replied. "You've done enough patrolling for one night."

Faith had no choice but to follow him. She owed Angel as much. "A few weeks ago, I was at my cell, trying to sleep." Faith began. "When a mist started to form and a guy dressed in white appeared in front of me. He was floating. And I was the only one who could see him."

"He snapped his fingers and in an instant, I was outside the walls of the penitentiary," Faith continued. "The alarms were already sounding and the police dogs were trying to find me. In fact, they passed my way once but they didn't find me. No one even saw me." 

"I looked at the guy in front of me and asked him if he was sure that I should escape." Faith frowned. "But all he said was that the Powers that Be have spoken and that he was a messenger. He told me that I am free and that I have a destiny to fulfill."

"The next thing I knew, I was standing in front of the Summers' home and Spike was talking to me."

"That's enough for now," Angel interrupted her. He didn't want to hear the rest of her story. Because now he had to accept the truth.

Faith was Buffy's replacement. That was the destiny she had to fulfill.

Which means Buffy was really dead.

Angel didn't want to believe it. There's a part of him that says Buffy was still alive. That the body he had found being feasted by vampires wasn't hers.

But seeing Faith in Sunnydale doing her duty as the Slayer dashed all his hopes of seeing Buffy again.

Buffy was gone and she wasn't coming back to him. Ever.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

__

Smallville, Kansas

****

RING! RING!

"What do you want?"

"Is that anyway to treat the man who saved you?"

Buffy immediately got out of bed. "I've been waiting for your call."

"You have, haven't you?" 

"You've been spying on me ever since I came to Smallville. I've often wondered when you would contact me." Buffy looked at the clock on her side table. It was three in the morning. "Although, it never occurred to me your call would be this late."

The silence on the other end was long. "I suppose I have to tell my men to be discrete, then. If you saw them, there's a probability my son did too."

"What has Lex Luthor got to do with me?"

"You'll know when the time comes," Lionel replied. "In the meantime, I want you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

"I want you to tell me what my son has been up to. Who he's been talking to, where he's going and what he's doing."

"You want me to spy on him?"

"I wouldn't call it spying," Lionel said. "I'm checking up on him."

Buffy yawned. "You must be tired," Lionel noted. "I guess it was presumptuous of me to call you at this hour. Take your rest now. Don't contact me. I'll contact you." He hung up immediately.

The minute Lionel hang up, Buffy stopped her fake yawning. She looked at the phone she held in her hands.

__

I might not have said no to what you want me to do, Lionel. But I didn't say yes, either.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

__

Metropolis, Kansas

As soon as Lionel hang up, a smile started to form in his face. 

Everything was going to plan. Angelica was playing straight into his hands. Sooner or later, his son would, too.

With that thought in mind, he dialed another set of numbers. It was a long distance call to Los Angeles.

"Hello?" the voice on the other end said.

"I'd like to speak with Lilah Morgan, please." Lionel Luthor told the operator.

There was a pause. "Hold on," the operator replied.

"Lionel," the female voice on the other end greeted. "What made you call me at this hour?"

"I need your help, Lilah." Lionel answered. "Can I count Wolfram and Hart?"

"It depends on what it is about," Lilah told him. 

Lionel put the phone on his other ear. "You'd like it. It's right up your alley."

Lilah's curiosity was getting the better of her. "Oh, really?"

"Really. It involves my only son," Lionel said. "And a certain woman named Angelica McGregor."


	10. Chapter 9

****

Heroic Deeds

By Ayisha

__

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. Smallville doesn't belong to me, either.

****

Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone who is still reading and commenting on this fic. I appreciate it. As you can see, I don't update that often. Sorry but I'm just too busy and I'm suffering from writer's block so hope you can bear with me.

****

Chapter 9:

__

Smallville, Kansas

"Is this seat taken?" 

Buffy looked up and saw Lex Luthor smiling at her. She shook her head no. 

Lex took the seat across from hers and observed her carefully. Angelica McGregor had intrigued him from the very beginning. Not because she was new in town, but because of the way she had reacted to him.

It was as if she knew him. Lex was very good at reading people. And so far, he had a feeling Angelica wasn't who she seemed to be.

Especially when he found out that she was living at one of his father's townhouses.

She pretended reading the newspaper. In truth, she was observing Lex Luthor from the corner of her eye.

"So," Lex started conversationally. "When is your shift going to start?"

"This afternoon," she answered. "Lana just asked me to come earlier to check on the morning shift."

"Lana seems to have trusted you," Lex remarked. "You've only started yesterday and yet she left you to handle the Talon while she's gone."

"I don't see it that way," Buffy remarked. "Lana must think that just because I'm older, I can take charge."

"Can't you?"

"I haven't tried." At least, as far as she knew.

As much as Lex was suspicious of her, he couldn't help but admit Angelica McGregor was someone to be reckoned with.

One of the things he was starting to like about her.

"How about you?" she asked.

"What about me?"

Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have a fertilizer plant to run?"

"You've heard of me."

"This is a small town. Word gets around."

"I'm sure it does." Lex said. A few tables away, someone was watching them with keen interest. 

"Took you long enough to notice." 

Long ago, Lex has ceased to be surprised. But this time was an exception. "You know?"

She shrugged. "He's been following me ever since I came to Smallville."

"Probably because my father ordered him to."

Buffy smiled. "There's no probably in it."

"Are you working for my father?"

She paused. "Is it safe to assume he's not listening on our conversation?"

"Yes. Mainly because the spy my father said is quite stupid." Meaning Lionel Luthor is underestimating Angelica.

She looked at him straight in the eye. "Your father _thinks _I'm working for him."

Lex's curiosity was piqued. "And you don't?"

"I work for myself," Buffy replied. "And truth be told, I don't trust your father ever since I met him. So I'm inclined not to trust you, either."

"Did it ever occur to you that the leaves doesn't necessarily fall from the tree?"

"Nice analogy. But I'd rather you prove it to me."

Lex laughed. "I have a feeling we're going to get along well."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

__

Sunnydale, California

The sun was shining brightly but the mood inside Angel's mansion was gloom. It has been ever since Faith arrived.

"So you're telling me someone is trying to open the Hellmouth?" Faith asked incredulously.

"According to Cordelia's vision, yes." Wesley answered. "But that's all she saw."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning we don't know who is behind the scheme."

Faith looked at Angel. "That's the reason you came here?"

"That and the fact he needs to accept the fact that Buffy is gone."

"Cordy!" Gunn warned.

Cordelia shrugged. "I'm just telling the truth!" She turned to Angel. "Now that you've seen that Faith is here, did you finally come to your senses? Buffy is dead and she's not coming back. I think it's about time you realize that."

"I thought you understood," Fred said softly.

"I do. That's why I'm he's got to stop doing this. Keeping busy every single day, going out on the streets and leaving Conner alone. He may be a vampire but sooner or later, his body wouldn't be able to take it anymore and he'd become weaker than ever."

"Cordy." Angel's voice stopped her tirade. "I know."

Cordelia stared at Angel. "You do?"

Angel nodded his head painfully. "Buffy's gone," he whispered. This was the first time he was ever going to admit it to himself. "And there's nothing left to do but move on."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You can come out now, you know." Spike called out cheerfully.

A rustle behind him and then a voice. "How did you know? I was careful."

Spike snorted. "You smell worse than a skunk." He lit up a cigarette. "What do you want from me?"

"My master wants to talk to you."

A lowly servant. The full moon did nothing to hide Spike's disgust. "What if I don't want to?"

"It has something to do with the Hellmouth."

At that instant, Spike turned and threw the stake. The demon he was talking to was hideous. One-eyed, big-eared and scaly. He yelped fearfully when he saw the stake coming towards him.

The vampire behind the demon turned to dust.

"This better be worth my time," Spike snapped. "For you to interrupt my patrol."

The demon nodded as his shaking hand pointed towards the exit of the cemetery. "This way."


	11. Chapter 10

****

Heroic Deeds

By Ayisha

__

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. Smallville doesn't belong to me, either.

****

Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone who is still reading this fic. I appreciate the support.

****

Chapter 10:

__

Sunnydale, California

"This is where your 'master' is?" Spike asked as he slapped another mosquito. _Irritating pests._ The demon had led him to the Sunnydale dump.

A place piled with mountains and mountains of trash.

The demon walked a few steps ahead of him with his head down. "My master thinks this is the best place to hide."

Spike sneered. "Your 'master' must be stupid." He held his nose up. "And this must be why you smell like you do. Disgusting."

The demon refrained from speaking. "You'll get used to it."

"What makes you think I would?" Spike said. "Listen, do you have a name? The least you could do is tell me who you are."

Silence. "Ajax."

"And your master…?"

"Achilles." Spike turned towards the voice. Ajax immediately bowed before him. "Master."

__

Ajax and Achilles. Spike frowned. _Why in the world did their names sound so familiar?_

"You must be William the Bloody," Achilles intoned as he looked at Spike.

"In case you didn't know, I go by Spike now." Achilles wasn't what Spike expected to be. His face couldn't be seen and every part of his body was covered with golden armor.

Achilles chuckled. "Indeed." He looked at Ajax. "You did a good job."

Ajax beamed. "That's nice to hear, Master."

"Look, as much as I want to stay hear and listen to your chitchat, I have better things to do with my time." Spike snapped. _Such as patrolling the neighborhood. _"So, what do you want from me?"

"William, I am here to make a proposition." Achilles said. "You don't mind if I call you William, do you?"

Spike snorted. "Anything to get this done and over with." He had to wonder what made him agree to come here in the first place.

"What do you say if I told you I could do something to get rid of that chip in your head?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

__

Smallville, Kansas

"You're Clark Kent, right?"

Clark turned around when he heard her voice. And the face that has been haunting his dreams. "Angelica."

Buffy laughed. "You might probably be wondering what I'm doing here."

"Well, it's not everyday I get to see a beautiful blonde like you in Smallville High."

"And I see you also have a sense of humor," Buffy remarked. She glanced around. "Actually, I was wondering if you could show me where the principal's office is?"

"Why? Are you going to study here? I'd think you would be in college by now."

"I am." Or at least that's what she thinks. "But I was wondering if there was a teaching position vacant."

"Oh." A look of understanding crossed over Clark's face. "I didn't know you were a teacher."

"Me either," Buffy said dryly. But she decided to take Lex's suggestion in this instant.

If she doesn't want to rely from Luthor money, she had to work for herself.

And let's face it. Working as a waitress would not be enough to support her.

So she decided on the next best thing. Applying at the local high school.

With fingers crossed behind her back, Buffy followed Clark to the principal's office.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

__

Metropolis, Kansas

"Lex. What a nice surprise."

"You're not one for pleasantries," Lex told his father. "So you better stop it now."

Lionel Luthor looked at his son. "What brings you to Metropolis so early in the morning?"

"Angelica." Lex told him without preamble.

"Ah." Lionel said. "And what about her?"

"Stay away from her," Lex warned him. "She's mine."

Lionel held up his hands. "All right."

"Good." Lex smirked. "I'm glad we understand each other." He walked out of his father's office right after.

Lionel couldn't help the smile forming in his face. _My plan is going perfectly well._

Little did he know that his son was also thinking the same exact thing.


	12. Chapter 11

****

Heroic Deeds

By Ayisha

__

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. Smallville doesn't belong to me, either.

****

Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone who has commented on this story. 

****

Chapter 11: 

__

Smallville, Kansas

She was a bunch of nerves as Principal Kwan took his time scanning her bio-data.

__

This is funny, Buffy thought to herself. She wasn't this nervous when she was talking to Lionel. 

And Lionel Luthor was more powerful than this man was.

Yet this man can give her what she needed.

A paying job without the help of Luthor money. Lex had assured her that much. Smallville High wasn't tainted with their money. Yet.

The Luthors didn't have much use for public high schools.

At least, that's what Lionel thinks. His son thinks otherwise.

Again, she was told as much. An hour is a long time to talk to someone.

And to agree to help him.

But if she was to be honest with herself, she was just choosing the lesser of the two evils. 

Lex Luthor still has a chance to save himself. Lionel does not.

For her, that made all the difference in the world.

"You've taught before?"

Principal Kwan's question snapped her out of her reverie. "Well, no. But I'm good with people."

"I see." He skimmed her file one more time then looked at her. "To be honest, Ms. McGregor, you don't look like a teacher. And from what I've read, you haven't even graduated from college yet."

Her face fell. "Oh." The transcripts were the ones Lionel had made for her. She didn't bother reading them because they weren't real. They didn't tell her anything about her past.

She wished she didn't use them. Apparently, Lionel thought so lowly of her.

"But, we _are_ short of hand," Principal Kwan continued. "So I'm making a deal with you."

"I'm listening."

"You're going to teach English and Literature to freshmen." 

"I could do that." _I think._

"On the condition you continue your studies in university." 

She was thoughtful for a moment. "You mean I have to balance my work and my studies."

"I'm giving you a teaching position because I have this feeling that you're a very hard worker." Principal Kwan answered. "And I know that you can do it."

She considered her options. It was either this or the fertilizer plant. Her job at the Talon withstanding. "Principal Kwan, you just got yourself a new teacher."

Principal Kwan smiled. "Welcome to Smallville High, Ms. McGregor."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

__

Sunnydale, California

The door to the Magic Shop opened. 

"Dawn? Is that you?"

"Who else would it be, Willow?"

The two of them hugged each other. "It is so good to see you."

Dawn smiled. "You too." She glanced around. "You're the only one here?"

"Everyone else is busy."

"Oh." Dawn paused. "I heard Angel's in town. I went to visit the Hyperion while I was in Los Angeles. No one was there."

"Cordelia had a vision. They've been here a few days now." Willow observed Dawn. The girl had grown thinner and paler than the last time. "What are you doing here, Dawnie?"

Dawn took a deep breath. "Remember when I said I'm staying with my aunt and uncle now?"

Willow nodded. "You have a cousin, don't you? Becky, right?"

Dawn bit her lip. "That's the reason I came here." She looked Willow straight in the eye. "I think Becky was the one Angel saw being devoured by the vampires." 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

__

Los Angeles, California 

"Lionel!" Lilah Morgan greeted him warmly. "Welcome to LA."

"Thank you for that welcome, Lilah." Lionel said stepping out of his private jet. "But I believe we should talk about business now."

Lilah nodded. "That we must." The two of them walked into Wolfram and Hart. 

"What happened to that vampire?"

"Mourning for his love."

"Ah." Lionel smiled. "And Lindsey?"

"Gloating."

Lionel looked at her. "Then I suppose I'd have to speak with him."

"What about your son?" Lilah asked.

"He didn't board the plane."

"You mean the one you ordered Lindsey to sabotage?"

"Exactly." Lionel clenched his fists. "Just as planned, the plane crashed right before it landed in Metropolis."

"And?"

"My son wasn't there. And there was only one survivor."

Lilah's brow raised up. "This Angelica McGregor you're talking about?"

Lionel nodded. "Yes. She has temporary amnesia. Her memory may return and being on the plane…"

Understanding crossed over Lilah's face. "You don't want her to get her memories back?"

"If it's not much of a bother, yes." 

Lilah smiled. "Then you came to the right place."


	13. Chapter 12

****

Heroic Deeds

By Ayisha

__

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. Smallville doesn't belong to me, either.

****

Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this fic. I am also sorry for not updating sooner. 

****

Chapter 12:

__

Sunnydale, California

"What do you want?" Spike demanded.

The shadow behind him squeaked. "I just wanted to remind you that your time is almost up."

Spike gritted his teeth. "Don't you think I know that, Ajax?"

"Shhh…" Ajax said. "Not so loud."

Spike sighed. "Here's a better idea. Ever thought about getting lost?"

"But…you have to give me an answer. Boss was telling me I had to find someone else, but I knew you were perfect so I convinced him that if…"

Spike glared at him. "If you want to live longer, shut up."

He did. "I'm coming back." Ajax disappeared into the shadows.

"I'd prefer if you don't." Spike muttered. He continued his walk down Revello Drive. When he reached the Summers' home, he paused outside for awhile.

"You're not coming in?" It was Faith.

"I doubt if I'm welcome."

"You and me both." Faith shrugged. "But unlike you, I try not to make a big deal out of it."

Spike frowned. "If you're strong enough to handle a bunch of people who hate your guts, I don't see any reason why I can't."

"Nice to hear but harder to do." Faith said cheerfully. "And, Spike?"

"Yeah?"

"I hope you decide otherwise."

Spike stared at her. "How did you-"

Faith smiled. "In case you forgot, I'm the Slayer. I see and hear things. Especially when it came to the vampire population."

There was silence. "Are you planning on ratting on me?"

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Let's keep it at that."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Everyone was present that night at the Summers' old home. Willow, Xander, Anya, Tara, Dawn, Spike, Faith, Cordelia, Gunn, Fred, Wesley and Angel (who brought Conner with him) all gathered around for the first time in what seemed like, well, forever.

"What was the purpose of this meeting, Willow?" Xander asked. "And why did we have to invite Dead Boy and Chiphead here?"

"Watch your tongue, boy." Spike warned. "Or else you'll _never _see the light of day."

"I'm scared." Xander said sarcastically. "This coming from someone who couldn't even hurt a fly."

Gunn watched the interaction with amusement. "Are they always like this?"

"Just wait until they team up against Angel," Cordelia replied. "That would be more fun."

Angel, on the other hand, was busy guarding Conner to talk to anyone.

"Angel?" 

"What is it?"

Fred hesitated. "Conner's asleep. You don't have to worry about anything."

Angel smiled. "Right."

"Can we start now?" Anya demanded. "Cause I really want to do something with Xander after this."

"That is so gross." Faith remarked.

"I was suppose to say that," Cordelia protested. 

"Tough luck."

Tara felt Willow's hand squeezed hers and they both turned to Dawn.

Dawn was biting her lip. "I think Buffy's alive!" She finally blurted out.

And the room fell into a deep silence.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Bids of sweat started to form on Wesley's temple. _Oh good lord, _he thought dreadfully. _Please help me now._

Dawn's announcement took everyone by surprise. It never occurred to Wesley that Dawn, of all people, would be the one to voice out her opinion that Buffy was still alive. He had expected it of Angel because he was her soulmate…but, apprarently, he should have known blood was always thicker than water.

"As all of you may know, I've been staying in Los Angeles with my Aunt Clarissa ever since…" Dawn trailed off. She started again. "She has a daughter named Becky who hasn't come back home in the last few months."

"I have reason to believe Becky was the one Angel saw being eaten by the vampires."

"Why is that?" Wesley asked, afraid of the answer.

Dawn stared at him straight in the eye. "Because my cousin looked a lot like Buffy; people often mistake them to be twins."

"And also because of this." Dawn produced a brown envelope, opened the contents and placed it on the table for everyone to see. "I found it at my doorstep the other day."

"This is a sample of the DNA found at the area where we presumed the vampires killed Buffy. Apparently, the girl was raped first before the vampires found her."

"The DNA didn't match my sister's."


	14. Chapter 13

****

Heroic Deeds

By Ayisha

__

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. Smallville doesn't belong to me, either.

****

Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this fic.

****

Chapter 13:

__

Los Angeles, California

"Did you send her the envelope?" Lindsey asked the messenger.

"She received it two days ago."

A smile formed over Lindsey's features. "You may go now."

The messenger bowed then walked out of the office. The moment he was gone, Lilah appeared. "Why did you send the results of the DNA test to Dawn Summers?"

Lindsey regarded her cautiously. "What do you care if I did?"

"Because your plans are known to fail the minute you construct them." Lilah paused. "Lionel Luthor is in town and he is not a happy camper. Lex didn't board the plane."

"It is not my fault he decided to delay his flight to Kansas." Lindsey replied. "I did what I was ordered to do. I planted the bomb in the plane."

"And in the process, hundreds of innocent people died except for the one who was _suppose_ to."

"When did a few hundred people ever matter?"

"There was one survivor."

That caught Lindsey's attention. "She is under Lionel's care as of right now," Lilah continued. "And doesn't remember anything."

"That's good to hear."

"But only temporarily." Lilah looked at him. "Lionel wants it to be permanent."

"Why don't you handle that?" Lindsey said. "Seeing that it's right up your forte."

Lilah smiled. "On the contrary, Lindsey. _I _wouldn't do anything."

"And why in the world not?"

"Because, to quote a colleague of mine, 'what do you care if I did?'"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

__

Smallville, Kansas

She was nervous and no one could blame her. She skimmed through her lesson plan one more time. She had memorized it by heart.

The bell rang, signaling the start of classes at Smallville High. In less than a minute, freshman students came streaming into the classroom.

She took a deep breath and reminded herself she needed this job. Roaming her eyes around the room, she saw that most of the students were already on their seats. She flashed the brightest smile she could manage.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm your new English teacher, Angelica McGregor."

Pete Ross' mouth dropped open. "Our new teacher is one hot babe."

Chloe Sullivan glared at him. "For your information, looks aren't everything."

"To tell you the truth, I don't have any experience in this sort of thing," Buffy continued. "You could say I'm a newbie but I'm willing to learn."

"Just give her a chance before you clobber her, Chloe." Pete coaxed. 

Chloe shrugged. "As long as she doesn't order me around, I won't do anything to her."

"What could you do to her?" Pete asked. "She's a teacher; you're just a student."

"I could write an article about her," Chloe replied. 

Pete grimaced. "Since you usually write about the weird goings-on in Smallville, writing a feature about someone as normal as can be, is quite disconcerting."

Before Chloe could reply anything to that, Clark Kent entered the classroom.

"Sorry," Clark mumbled. "I overslept."

Buffy smiled. "That's okay, Mr. Kent. I haven't gotten to my lesson plan yet. Just be sure not to do it again."

Clark nodded and took the only available seat in the room. Right next to Lana Lang. 

"So," Buffy said. "Please open your books to page 67. Today's lesson is about William Shakespeare's _Merchant of Venice_."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

__

Metropolis, Kansas

"I have the information you want, Mr. Luthor." The investigator said.

Behind his desk, Lex folded his arms across his chest. "You may start now."

"According to the facts I've gathered, there was a plane crash almost two months ago. It was reported that the plane was struck by lightning and that there was little chance of anyone surviving. However, a member of the rescue team found a female near the propeller of the plane. She was still breathing."

__

Angelica. Lex thought to himself. 

"The female was brought directly to the hospital by ambulance. Or so they said. After checking the hospital records, I found out that they didn't send out any ambulance that day."

Lex remained quiet.

"And that the hospital and police departments do not know anything about a plane crash," the investigator continued. "Or at least _pretending_ not to know anything." 

"A cover-up."

The investigator nodded. "Exactly. Television stations that have reported about the plane crash didn't report about it again. It was like they were silenced. Days passed and people started to forget there even _was _a plane crash."

"What happened to the female?"

"She was brought to a secret branch of LuthorCorp. One doctor and one nurse tended to her. Lionel Luthor almost always checked on her until she woke up which happened almost two weeks after."

The investigator took a deep breath. "She had temporary amnesia and couldn't remember her name or what happened to her before the accident. To make things easier, they named her Angelica McGregor."

"Why is Angelica in Smallville?"

"I do not know," the investigator replied ruefully. "Only your father can answer that."

"Who was the one who rescued Angelica?"

"Jonathan Kent."

Lex decided he had to pay a visit to the Kent Farm a lot sooner than he thought. "What about the plane that crashed? What was its flight number?"

"Flight 149 from Los Angeles."

And everything was pieced together. Lex clenched his fist. "You may go now."

The investigator bowed down and started to walk out of the office.

"Annie." Lex called out after her. 

"Don't worry, Mr. Luthor. I won't tell anyone."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

__

Sunnydale, California

"What are we going to do now?" Xander finally asked the question in everyone's minds.

"What _can _we do?" Willow replied. "Even if Buffy is alive, we don't have any idea where she is."

"We could always find her." Angel spoke up. 

Cordelia looked at him incredulously. "How? She could be anywhere. Are you suggesting that we go into every town and every city in this entire country? Or even in this entire world?"

"Someone's jealous." Spike remarked.

"I'm not." Cordelia snapped. "I want to find Buffy as much as any of you but let's face it. We have to be practical. How can we find someone who does not want to be found?"

Cordelia had a point and everyone knew it.

"Can I ask a question?" 

Everyone turned to Faith. "If what Dawn said was true and if Buffy _is _alive, how come I'm the Slayer?"

No one had an answer to that. No one even wanted to.

The doorbell rang, breaking into the silence.

"Who is it?" Dawn inquired, opening the front door. Her eyes grew wide. "Giles?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Would anyone be interested in proofreading this story for me? I'd really appreciate it. I know I don't update much (the best I can do is once a month), but I _will _finish this story, sooner or later. And I guess the only advantage of the one who will be proofreading this is that he/she gets to read the story before anyone else. If you're interested please e-mail me at faerie_princess18@yahoo.com.


	15. Chapter 14

****

Heroic Deeds

By Ayisha

__

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. Smallville doesn't belong to me, either.

****

Author's Notes: As always, a big thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story.

****

Chapter 14:

__

Smallville, Kansas

The Lamborghini drove down Hickory Lane. Loud music could be heard over the noise of the tractor and through the closed windows of the car.

"Clark, your rich friend is here!"

Clark turned to the road just in time to see the Lamborghini stop in front of him and his father.

The engine was turned off and Lex Luthor stepped out. "Mr. Kent."

"Lex." Jonathan didn't even try to hide his disapproval.

Lex let it slide. He was used to Jonathan Kent and understood where he was coming from. Lionel Luthor was a man who shouldn't be trusted and that judgement was also passed to his son.

Lex wanted to prove Jonathan wrong. "Hey, Clark."

"Hey, Lex." Clark greeted. He looked at the car enviously. "Is that new?"

"Just a few weeks old," Lex told him. "You want to test drive it?"

Clark's eyes lit up and Lex had to keep himself from smiling. "I guess I have to take that as a yes." He gave the keys to Clark. "Have fun."

Clark turned to his father. "I promise to be back before dinner."

Jonathan sighed. "Just be careful."

"I will." Clark grinned. "Thanks, Lex."

"You're welcome."

Both father and friend watched Clark speed off the road and into the highway. "That was quite generous of you, Lex."

"It was the least I could do, Mr. Kent." Lex replied. "Clark saved my life and I would always feel indebted to him."

"I suppose you would wait until Clark shows up."

"He has my car." Lex paused. "Mr. Kent, do you remember the plane crash that happened a few months back?"

"Lex, there was no plane crash." He knew what the young man was referring to but everyone had been denying that there was a plane crash that Jonathan suspected a cover-up.

"You were the one who found the survivor."

Jonathan looked at him. "How did you know about that? You weren't here when it happened."

"I was suppose to be in that plane." Lex said. "Fortunately, something came up and I didn't get to board it."

"What do you want to know?"

"In what condition did you find the survivor in?"

Jonathan thought for awhile. "Delirious. Almost at the unconscious state."

"Did she say anything?"

__

She called out my son's name. "No."

"Did you ever find out what happened to her?"

Jonathan shook his head. "The ambulance came and took her away. I haven't seen her or heard from her since."

"Would you like to see her again?"

The question surprised him. "Pardon?"

"She's in town." Lex replied. "And goes by the name of Angelica McGregor."

"Why are you doing this, Lex?" Jonathan can't help but be suspicious of the young Luthor's intentions.

Lex casually placed both his hands in his pockets. "I just thought she would like to thank the man who saved her."

Jonathan stared at Lex long and hard. For some reason he couldn't fathom, he could actually see the sincerity in the latter's eyes. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

Lex smiled. "It would be my honor."

"I'll tell Martha to have an extra plate."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

__

Sunnydale, California

"Rupert, what brings you here?" 

Giles looked at Wesley oddly. "You called me."

Wesley vaguely remembered placing a long distance call to England before leaving Los Angeles. He had a feeling that they were going to need all the help they could get. "Oh. Yes. I didn't think you could make it."

"It took me a few days but at least I'm here." He scanned the room. Aside from Wesley, everyone was in a state of shock.

"You were an unexpected visitor," Wesley told him. "I forgot to tell them you were coming."

"That's not surprising since you also forgot I was coming."

Wesley was flustered. With Buffy still missing, he had good reason to forget. Now that everyone knew she was alive, he had more to worry about.

"You came at just the right time, Giles." Angel finally spoke up. "We need your advice."

Giles frowned. "I thought that was the reason I was here."

"It's about Buffy."

Giles' eyes dimmed. It was obvious he was still grieving. "What about her?"

"We think she's alive." Angel said. "And we'd like to find her."

"We?" Spike asked. 

Angel took a deep breath. "I'd like to find her." 

Giles nodded. "Well. Where would you like to start?"

Angel smiled. "It's good to have you back, Giles."

"It's good to be home."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

__

Los Angeles, California

"Lindsey, you promised me that there would be no mistakes."

"Lionel, it wasn't my fault your son didn't board the plane."

Lionel tried to keep his temper in check. "Yet you should have expected that. Lex has been known to cheat death a lot more times than I can remember."

"Why are you so intent on killing your son?" Lindsey asked.

"The apple doesn't necessarily fall from the tree. In Lex's case, it appears to be the contrary." Lionel looked at him. "The apple _will _fall from the tree."

"You're afraid of your son." Lindsey surmised. "I've seen Lex's capabilities and I have to say, give or take a few years, he _will _be better than you ever were."

Lionel laughed. "You're wrong, Lindsey. As a father, I would be proud if my son surpass my accomplishments."

"Then why are you so afraid?"

"A few years from now Lex would learn to yield his influence and power for his own use. My son can create more damage than anything Wolfram and Hart could ever accomplish." Lionel paused. "And when that happens, I'm not the only one who would have a reason to be afraid of him."

"Are you saying that Lex would become the ultimate villain?"

"Unless he is stopped." 

"He would be."

"How?" Lionel demanded. 

"Use Angelica. Make Lex fall in love with her. And once he is under her spell, she will do the killing for us."

"That's exactly what I'm doing." Lionel said. "But her amnesia is only temporary."

Lindsey got a small bottle from his jacket pocket and handed it to Lionel. "Here."

"What is this?"

"The answer to your problems." Lindsey told him. "It's a potion. A forgetting potion. Make the girl drink it everyday for seven days and I can assure you, she wouldn't get her memory back."

Lionel smiled. "How much?"

"Since I messed up the first time, consider it an even deal." Lindsey said. "I won't charge you."

Lionel glanced at his watch. "I have to go. I have to get back to Metropolis before my son realizes I'm gone." 

Lindsey watched Lionel leave the office and close the door behind him. "What was inside that bottle?" Lilah asked stepping out of the shadows.

"Water and salt." 

"You have something in your mind."

Lindsey shrugged. "Let's just say that potion would never reach Angelica McGregor."

"How come?"

"Lionel would take it to his grave."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

__

Smallville, Kansas

What a tiring day, Buffy reflected. Right after classes finished, she went straight to the Talon to start her shift. Since most students go there after school, they were surprised to see their teacher serving them.

At Smallville High, she was Miss McGregor. At the Talon, she was Angelica.

Buffy glanced at her watch. _Eight o'clock in the evening. _If she was in the city, it would still be too early to call it a night. In a town like Smallville, every shop and restaurant had closed up for the day. There were no people in the streets and no sound could be heard. It was deserted and still.

Since she volunteered to lock the Talon for the day, she was left alone. Unfortunately, she also didn't have any ride to get to her home.

So she walked. Buffy had only taken a few steps when she sensed a presence behind her. She turned around.

It was an old man in his fifties.

She smiled. "Can I help you?"

"I'm hungry."

"I'm sorry but we're already closed."

The old man shook his head. "That wasn't what I meant." His face contorted to that of something monstrous. He opened his mouth and there were fangs. "_This _is."

__

Vampire! Buffy's mind screamed. And suddenly, it was as if her body knew how to act. Before the vampire could even attack her, she had jumped on its back and was on its other side in an instant.

The vampire, clearly underestimating her, turned around and punched her. Buffy caught its hand, twisted it until the vampire growled in pain, then tumbled it down on the ground. She immediately sat on top of it to make sure it wouldn't get away.

Seeing a stick lying not far from where they were, she quickly reached for it and, using the sharpest side put it straight to the vampire's heart.

The vampire turned to dust.

And Buffy was left there to wonder what on earth she had just done.


	16. Chapter 15

**Heroic Deeds**

**By Ayisha**

****

**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. Smallville doesn't belong to me, either._

**_Author's Notes: _**_As always, a big thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story._

****

**Chapter 15:**

_Smallville__, __Kansas___

Buffy softly closed the door to her room, still in a deep trance.

The events of the evening came rushing back to her. She looked at her hands.

She had killed someone. Technically, she didn't kill him considering he was already dead. He was a vampire, after all.

That was the thing that bothered her.

How on earth did she know that it was a vampire? And why wasn't she even the least bit bothered that it was?

_Why did it feel so natural?_

Her head felt heavy just thinking about it. Not knowing what came over her, she fell face first on the bed.__

She stayed in that position for a good long while.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Thank you for a sumptuous dinner, Mrs. Kent."

Martha smiled at him. "You're always welcome here, Lex."

Looking at her husband's expression, Lex didn't think so. Jonathan Kent could tolerate having him around but not to the point of actually trusting him.

"Are you leaving?" Martha asked him.

Lex nodded. "I was suppose to."

Martha sighed as she glanced at her watch. "I wonder what is taking Clark so long."

"He promised to be here before dinner." Jonathan eyed Lex in disdain. "You shouldn't have allowed him to test drive that expensive car of yours."

_Where was the man who invited me to dinner? _Lex wondered. As far as he knew, he had acted as any other respectable guest in the Kent household.

As if reading his mind, Martha gave Lex an apologetic smile. Jonathan was getting worried about Clark.

"Well, at least he finally decided to grace us with his presence," Lex remarked. He finally saw the familiar headlights of his Lamborghini driving down Hickory Lane.

The three of them watched in silence as Clark stopped in front of them, turned the engine off and got out of the car. "Here." Clark gave the keys to Lex.

Lex gratefully took it. "I think it's time I leave." He glanced back at Jonathan. "I've prolonged my stay as it is."

Before Martha could protest the statement, Lex had already started his car and was on his way. Just like her son, Martha have always felt an affinity to Lex. She doesn't share Jonathan's opinion of him. What Lex needed was a mother and that was what Martha was trying to be to him.

"You didn't have to be so rude," Martha admonished him.

"I invited him to dinner, isn't that enough?" Jonathan drawled.

Normally, Clark would say something to defend his friend. But he didn't.

Concerned, Martha finally gave her full attention to Clark.

That was when she noticed the blank expression on her son's face. "Clark?" she asked, concerned.

Clark didn't answer.

Jonathan and Martha exchanged glances.

"Son?" Jonathan tapped Clark's shoulder.

"Huh?" Clark was finally out of his trance.

"Is something wrong?"

Clark shook his head vehemently. "Nope. Everything's peachy."

His parents didn't look convinced.

Clark gave them both a smile. "I'm fine. Nothing's wrong."

"Really?"

He squeezed his mother's hand. "Yes, mom."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Sunnydale__, __California___

Spike had already reached a decision before the night was over. Knowing that he had to tell them what he knew, he cleared his throat loudly.

Everyone stopped what he or she was doing and gave him an annoying glance.

"What is it?" Angel asked irritably.

"Don't get all worked up, Peaches." Spike sneered. "I was just wondering if anyone wants to listen to me."

Faith looked on with interest.

"And what makes you think we would listen?"

"Because if you don't, you might never know what actually happened to Buffy all those months ago."

Wesley Wyndham-Pryce's face ashened. Spike smirked in satisfaction. _Achilles was right, _he thought. _The former Watcher had something to do with Buffy's disappearance._

Achilles and Ajax were a pain on his side…a thorn…yet their proposition had served its purpose.

The two had told him that Buffy was alive…

…And that the only one who could save her was him.

William the Bloody.

He was given a choice and he chose the nobler one.

By this time, he had everyone's full attention.

"I suppose I should start from the very beginning." Spike took a deep breath and started his tale.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Los Angeles__, __California___

Lionel Luthor was comfortably seated on his personal jet and piling over the paper work.

His unexpected trip to Los Angeles almost cost him one million dollars. He had to cancel meetings from prospective clients left and right.

But it had been worth it. Lionel touched the small bottle in his breastpocket. Once he returns to Metropolis and had made Angelica (or whoever she is), drink the vial, his problems would be solved.

No one would know about what truly happened on that plane.

And Lex…

…Lex would be history in a matter of months.

It was the hardest thing a father could do to his son.

And yet…he was given no choice.

He had no choice. Someday soon, Lex would become stronger than him…he would take on the world like no other…

And in the process become the man Lionel would fear.

A man without a conscience nor a soul.

People might think he was crazy, but he knows deep in his gut that exactly, is what would happen with Lex.

He was the one who made him that way, after all.

But before Lionel could further contemplate his son's fate, the jet was already getting ready for take off.

…Except that it didn't leave.

The last thing the airport personnel saw was a jet blazing on fire.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Smallville__, __Kansas___

Clark couldn't forget what he saw that night.

He had decided to take the Lamborghini to town for a test drive. Or, quite frankly, he wanted to drop by the Talon to ask Lana if she wanted a ride home.

Unfortunately, it was Angelica he saw closing down the Talon for the night.

And a fight like no other.

Clark had stopped the Lamborghini a couple of blocks away and was about to approach Angelica when he saw the old man.

He also witnessed its transformation to something else…a vampire.

Clark had read enough books about strange creatures of the night to know what one is.

He turned his telescope to the night sky. The scene replayed in his mind. Angelica fighting with the vampire…her getting the stick…aiming straight at the heart…

…And killing it.

Clark was hiding behind the shadows. Angelica did not even notice him. She just went home afterwards, in some kind of a trance.

It was the thing that bothered him the most ever since he went home that night.

_Why was Angelica McGregor so stunned of her actions?_


	17. Chapter 16

**Heroic Deeds**

**By Ayisha**

****

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. ****

**Author's Notes 1: **An AtS/BtVS/Smallville crossover, some parts are AU; the rest will be explained in the story.

**Author's Notes 2: **I'm a fan of all three shows and this idea came up to me a long while ago. I don't know if I'm going to continue it, so feedback would be very much appreciated.

**Spoilers: **Some parts of S5 and S6 for Buffy; S3 and S4 for Angel.

**Summary: **Buffy left Sunnydale and came to Smallville.

**Chapter 16:**

_Sunnydale, __California___

"One night while on patrol, a demon appeared out of nowhere and told me to come with him. Since I had nothing better to do, I followed him." Spike grimaced. "He led me to the Sunnydale dump. Of all places."

"Does this demon have a name?" Giles inquired.

"Ajax. He's a minion, actually. To some demon named Achilles."

Willow frowned. "Aren't those names part of the Trojan War? Achilles was the Greek hero and Ajax was also a warrior."

"So that's why there names were familiar." Spike shrugged. "Anyway, they made an offer I couldn't refuse: get rid of this chip in my bloody head if I help them."

Everyone in the room immediately took a step back from him. Spike rolled his eyes. Why wasn't he surprised? "They wanted me to help them find the Slayer."

"Faith?" Gunn asked.

Spike pursed his lips. "Buffy."

There was complete silence in the room. "But how could they know…" Tara started.

"See, that's the interesting part. Apparently, there were three of them in the beginning. Unfortunately, the third one was hired by a firm called Wolfram and Hart in LA." Spike glanced at the Fang Gang. "I'm sure you've heard of them."

Angel clenched his fists. "They're always thorns to my side."

"I think their main goal is to get you out of the way, Peaches." Spike drawled. "And they knew your weakness. The love of your life."

"And we all know who that is," Xander muttered. "It's certainly not Queen C over there."

Faith smirked. Cordelia only shot her former boyfriend a murderous glare.

"They wanted to kill Buffy." Spike took a deep breath. "And before you storm over to their offices, Peaches, let me tell you something. They didn't succeed." He turned to Dawn. "The demon was a coward; he knew the Slayer's reputation and got afraid but since he knew he could use the money, he took on the law firm's offer. He paid three vampires to kill your sister but they mistook your cousin for her. And we all know what happened to her."

Dawn's face paled. "Oh god…"

"That was my first reaction." Spike paused. "Wolfram and Hart got hold of the mistake and the demon paid with his life. Now Achilles and Ajax need to find someone to replace him. Someone who had skills."

"I can't believe they never thought of me." Anya said disdainfully. "Sure, I'm not a vengeance demon anymore but…"

Spike ignored her. "Ajax thought I was the perfect candidate."

"For what?"

"To be Buffy's eternal mate, of course." Spike drawled. "Apparently, Wolfram and Hart didn't know the real reason why the demon didn't kill her. He was scared, yes. But there was something else. A prophecy revolving around Buffy. Whoever becomes her mate has the power to take over the world."

The tension in the room was palpable.

"Why are you telling us all this?" Angel demanded.

Spike looked at him steadily. "You're not the only one in love with her."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Los Angeles, __California___

The medical team arrived too late. No one survived the fire. The airport personnel had closed off the runway. The Los Angeles Police Department was already called and was all on place.

Lindsay McDonald flashed his I.D. and got inside the yellow tape. Detective Kate Lockley nodded at him curtly. "I've been expecting you."

"Lionel Luthor's plane?"

"Affirmative."

Lindsay looked at the damage. The jet was still blazing in fire. "What happened?"

"Someone put a bomb in the cockpit." Kate didn't bother to hide the contempt in her voice. She had been in the force for as long as she could remember and the idea that it was Wolfram and Hart who might actually be behind this wasn't lost to her. This wouldn't be the first time.

"Any idea who did it?"

"We're investigating." Kate knew she wouldn't find any evidence pointing at Wolfram and Hart. That had always been the problem.

Suddenly, the medical team got out of whatever remnants there was of the jet, carrying a stretcher. Lindsay walked over to them. Whoever was in it was covered by a white cloth. "May I?"

"Be our guest."

Lindsay pulled up the cover. What he saw was a charcoaled face of someone. But he did see what he was holding.

It was the vial he had given Lionel.

"You can take him away," Lindsay told them after he had pulled down the cover again.

At least, one thorn on his side was already gone.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Smallville, __Kansas___

When Lex Luthor heard the news, he could not believe it. "What did you say?"

The person on the other end of the line sounded remorseful. "I am really sorry, Lex."

He gripped the phone tightly. "What happened, Lilah?"

Lilah Morgan didn't know how much she should tell him. "Someone planted a bomb inside the jet, according to the police."

"Do you have anything to do with it?"

"Your father is one of the stockholders of the firm."

Lex didn't say anything. He was still in shock. He had always envisioned his father to be stronger than that. To be smarter. An immortal.

"I know this is hard for you," Lilah continued. "It is to all of us. But you have to fly here…"

"I just flew back a few weeks ago." Lex cut her off. "Can you just fly the body over to Metropolis?"

"I think that might be arranged." Lilah paused. "But Lex, you have to know that everyone there was burned to death. The body…"

"I'll arrange the funeral." Lex said tersely. He hanged up the phone and stared into nothingness. He had received the call an hour after he had arrived home from the Kents'. He certainly didn't expect it.

It wasn't everyday someone called and told you your father died.

Lex felt his fists tightening. Lionel was his father. His only family. And now he was gone.

And he wasn't even shedding a single tear.

But wasn't it Lionel who taught him that tears are a weakness?

He felt the shock wearing off to be replaced with numbness. Complete numbness.

And he was bothered by the fact that he had easily used the past tense _was _in describing his father.


	18. Chapter 17

**Heroic Deeds**

**By Ayisha**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon. **I Love You Goodbye** was sang by Celine Dion.

**Author's Notes 1: **An AtS/BtVS/Smallville crossover, some parts are AU; the rest will be explained in the story.

**Author's Notes 2: **I'm sorry if I haven't updated for a long time. I don't mean to abandon the story, it's just that I always seem to have a massive writer's block whenever I try to write the next chapter. I'm sorry for keeping all of you waiting.

**Spoilers: **Some parts of S5 and S6 for Buffy; S3 and S4 for Angel.

**Summary: **Buffy left Sunnydale and came to Smallville.

**Chapter 17:**

_Sunnydale__California_

"A locating spell."

Every one stared at him as if he had grown two heads. Giles huffed. "We've been trying to locate her for a week without success."

He was right, of course. Ever since Spike's revelation that Buffy was alive had put the gang back into research mode. Every one pitched to look for her. They tried everything to checking bus terminals, airports, ships even to hospitals to no avail.

It was then Giles thought of the locating spell. He could not believe he'd forgotten about it. Giles sighed inwardly. He really must be getting old.

"I can do it," Willow volunteered. "It's not that complicated, really. All we need is a map…" she drifted off when she saw the look on Wesley's face.

She wasn't the only one who noticed.

"Is something wrong?" Fred asked him.

Wesley knew when he was beaten. He had tried to keep it from them as long as he could…let them continue their search even though he knew how fruitless it was. When Spike had told them all that Buffy did not die, Wesley had been so sure he was also going to tell them what _he,_Wesley Wyndham-Pryce had to do with it.

Imagine his astonishment when Spike did not say anything else after his confession that he was also in love with Buffy. Though he was grateful, Wesley could not help but wonder why. It was not as if he and Spike knew each other well enough and they certainly weren't friends.

Looking at Spike now, Wesley realized why. Spike had wanted him to tell them himself. _He would love seeing me squirm, _Wesley thought bitterly.

"Wes?" Gunn said.

Wesley cleared his throat. "Well…uhm…" he fidgeted around nervously. "It's…well…"

"Spit it out." Faith told him impatiently. "We don't have all day."

"Buffy's missing!" Wesley blurted out.

Every one looked at him. "Isn't that the reason we're looking for her?" Xander said dubiously.

"What I meant to say was that," _It's now or __nev__er. _"I helped Buffy run away."

There was silence. Every one was stunned. It was clear that, of all the people who would have helped Buffy, it certainly wasn't Wesley.

Every one knew that Buffy and Wesley wasn't exactly the best of friends. Hell, they never even talked to each other in civilized terms.

So it was really no surprise that no one believed him when he said that.

Cordelia chuckled. "You've got to be kidding me. You and Buffy hated each other's guts."

"Disliked each other with a passion, yes." Wesley replied. "But nevertheless, I helped her get away."

Giles looked at him. "Are you telling the truth? Because if this is a joke…"

Spike rolled his eyes. "He's telling the truth. Ajax told me as much. He's been following Buffy around and saw her leave."

Something akin to anger flashed in Angel's eyes. "You knew all along? You lied to me for all this time?"

"I'm sorry." Wesley took a deep breath. "I know it's no excuse…"

"The hell it isn't!" Angel snapped. "I trusted you, Wesley! How could you do this to me?"

"Because you were the reason she left in the first place!" Wesley shot back. "Do you have any idea how hurt Buffy was when she saw you kissing Cordelia with Conner in your arms? You three were the perfect family! She thought you had the perfect life! You had a son, a woman who loves you and friends who care so much about you...the life you had wanted for her! The reason you left!" He laughed then. A harsh laugh. Somehow, all the things Buffy had told him made real sense now. It was really hypocritical. Angel left Buffy so she could have a normal life and look how that turned out. In the end, it was Angel who got close to having a normal life, vampire with a soul, notwithstanding.

Angel was speechless. "I…"

"Forget it," Wesley said bitterly. "It's too late now. But you have to understand, I had to do what I could to help her. She was suffocating here."

"How could she?" Willow asked. "We were her friends. We were always here to help her."

"If you hadn't brought her back, there wouldn't be a problem." It was Spike who spoke up.

Willow froze. "What are you talking about? We were supposed to bring her back! We couldn't let her rot in hell!"

"Why did you think she was in hell?" Spike demanded. "Does Buffy not deserve to actually be in heaven?"

His words sank in. "No…" Willow whispered.

"She was happy," Spike continued. "She was finally at peace. You took that away from her when you brought her back."

"Buffy…" Dawn choked. She turned to Wesley. "Where is she? I need to know. She must be lonely. I need to talk to her. I need to tell her…" she broke off.

"I'm sorry. I don't know."

"But you said…"

Wesley shook his head remorsefully. "I don't know what happened after she left. She would not answer her phone. I've tried contacting her repeatedly but I've failed. I've also consulted the authorities but they have no news of what happened." He shrugged helplessly. "I was too scared to tell you and now it's too late. I'm too late."

"We could always go to where she is." Tara suggested softly.

Angel stared at Wesley. "Tell us where she went. We need to go there and find her."

"Smallville, Kansas. She was supposed to go to Smallville."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Smallville__Kansas_

She woke up, beads of sweat on her face. She glanced around the room. It was only three o'clock in the morning.

Buffy shivered. She was cold. It was strange. She was perspiring yet she was feeling cold. It must have been the dream.

She had never dreamt as vividly as before.

She saw herself on top of what seemed like a cliff. She was talking to a girl…telling her something…she couldn't quite remember. There was a portal opening from below them, getting larger by the minute. And then she was running…jumping out of the cliff and into the portal…

And that was when she woke up. She was still in her work clothes. She hadn't changed after what happened that night.

Buffy still could not figure out what exactly happened. Did she actually kill someone? Or was it already dead?

The answers were coming to her if only she could grasp them. Everytime a memory arose, one blink of an eye, it was gone. She couldn't remember anymore.

This time, Buffy vowed it would different. If something about her past would come to her, she would hang on to it with every part of her being.

The phone then again rang, interrupting her thoughts. It had always been like this. Lionel Luthor trying to find out if she had made some progress. Without preamble, she answered it. "I haven't gotten close to him yet."

"You're free."

Buffy frowned. "Lex? Why are you calling me?"

"Didn't you hear me?" His voice sent chills to her spine. It was so cold and devoid of any emotion. "You're free."

"What are you talking about?"

"I thought you should be the first one to know. My father's dead. He was in a plane accident."

"I'm sorry." She knew how hard it was to lose a parent. She didn't know why, but she knew who it felt.

"Don't be." There was a harsh laugh. "He was killed."

"Killed?"

"Killed." Lex paused. When he spoke again, his voice was as calm as ever. "His past finally caught up with him."


	19. Chapter 18

**Heroic Deeds**

**By Ayisha**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything in the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon.

**Author's Notes: **An AtS/BtVS/Smallville crossover, some parts are AU; the rest will be explained in the story.

**Spoilers: **Some parts of S5 and S6 for Buffy; S3 and S4 for Angel.

**Summary: **Buffy left Sunnydale and came to Smallville.

**Chapter 18:**

_Smallville, __Kansas_

It was a sunny Saturday morning. Many people – business associates, family friends and workers – attended the funeral. Which of them mourned and actually grieved, no one could really tell.

Most of them were relieved that Lionel Luthor was gone. It was quite astonishing how big the turnout was; it seemed that every one in Smallville went to the funeral.

"Probably to ascertain that my father is truly dead," Lex stated.

Clark looked up with a start. It had been three days since the news spread and only a day after Lionel's body was flown back to Metropolis. His friend had not wasted any time. Lex had immediately prepared the funeral for the next day, saying that a wake was not necessary.

He doubted if anyone would come, anyway.

"I'm very sorry about your loss," Clark said. All the mourners had gone and they were the only ones left at the cemetery. Jonathan and Martha thought it best that their son be with Lex at this sad day; losing a parent, no matter who that parent was, is difficult. Lex would need a friend during this crucial time.

Clark was only too willing to oblige.

Lex stared at his father's grave. Lionel's grave. If there was one thing Lionel was, he was organized. He planned for everything ahead of time. It was still a mystery to Lex why Lionel did not plan for his funeral. He supposed it was because his father thought himself invincible.

Yet while rummaging through Lionel's endless pile of documents, was the casket ordered for Lex by his own father and a piece of land in which he was to be buried. "I'm not."

"Lex, you don't mean that." Clark told him. "You're grieving, you're sad. It's okay to be bitter. He left you unexpectedly."

Lex started shaking his head. "You don't understand." He paused. "It was either him or me."

"What?"

He turned to face his friend, his _only _friend, and looked him straight in the eye. "He was going to kill me, Clark."

"He can't do that. You're his son."

"He already did. Unfortunately, he failed." Lex said grimly. "Do you remember the horrible plane crash in Metropolis?"

Clark frowned. "You mean the one that everyone seemed to have remotely forgotten about?"

"It cost my father millions just to pay the mayor for damage control."

"Why would he do that?"

What Lex said next, Clark surely did not expect. It was rare for Lex to share his thoughts to Clark. Apparently, this was one of those few times. "I was supposed to be in that plane," Lex answered. "The plane did not crash because of bad weather. My father paid someone to plant a bomb inside; he sabotaged the plane so I can die."

--------------------------------------------

_Sunnydale, __California_

"BOO!"

Spike had always been a light sleeper. Still, that did not prevent him from yelping. "What are you bloody doing at my crypt?"

Faith grinned as she plopped down on Spike's bed, making him move a little to the side. "Sure is dark here."

"I'm a vampire. It's daytime. Make the connection." Spike said, a little miffed.

"So I've noticed." Faith said dryly.

"You came barging in here, interrupting my sleep and making small chit-chat which I have no time for," Spike folded his arms. "Whatever it is you have to say should be bloody important, woman."

"I have a plan to know where Buffy is."

"Didn't just Wesley say she was somewhere in Kansas?"

"Smallville, Kansas." Faith pursed her lips. "I have a plan to find out _where _exactly in Smallville Buffy is."

Spike was in rapt attention. "I'm listening."

"You mentioned that Ajax and Achilles were following Buffy around before she disappeared." Faith said. "I have a theory."

"Which is?"

"What if they already know where she is and just waiting for us to take them there?" Faith asked. "They need the Slayer to fulfill the prophecy." She looked at him. "_Through _you. They think if you could be Buffy's eternal mate, the three of you would rule the world together."

Spike snorted. "If they really think that then they must be stupider than I thought."

"They offered to remove that chip in your head if you went along with them. You would be indebted to them forever, you'll have no choice but to follow their every bidding." Faith paused. "Favors among vampires are regarded highly."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Go to them. Agree to their wishes. Lead them to Buffy in Smallville, Kansas. And in turn," Faith continued. "_They _would take Buffy to us."

----------------------------------------

_Los Angeles, __California_

Lindsay looked at her condescendingly. "Anymore questions, detective?"

Kate Lockley hated Wolfram and Hart with a passion. They considered themselves above the law, untouchable. How she would love to put them in their place. "That would be enough for now," she answered coolly.

She had interrogated Lindsay MacDonald for almost two hours, trying to trap him into admitting that Wolfram and Hart had something to do with Lionel Luthor's murder. She had not succeeded. The man was simply too slippery a character to pin down.

Lindsay stood up and held out a hand. "Call me if you need anything, detective."

The insinuation angered her yet she held her temper in check. She took the proffered hand. "I'd keep that in mind."

He flashed her a smile and walked out of the room, leaving Kate deep in her thoughts and waiting for someone to escort her out. She was in the offices of Wolfram and Hart, had been there many times, she was used to the procedure.

"He did it."

"Excuse me?"

Lilah Morgan stepped out of the shadows. "Lindsay killed Lionel. He ordered someone to plant that bomb." She paused. "Wolfram and Hart have nothing to do with this. Mister Luthor is a very important client of the firm. It was a big loss."

"What makes you think I would believe you?"

Lilah played the recorder she held out on her hand.

_Lindsey watched Lionel leave the office and close the door behind him. "What was inside that bottle?" Lilah asked stepping out of the shadows._

_"Water and salt."_

_"You have something in your mind."_

_Lindsey shrugged. "Let's just say that potion would never reach Angelica McGregor."_

_"How come?"_

_"Lionel would take it to his grave."_

"This was the last conversation we had that included Lionel," Lilah continued. "Exactly three hours before the latter's plane burst into fire."

"What bottle? And who is this Angelica McGregor?" Kate demanded.

Lilah shook her head. "Now, now, don't be too curious. Lionel went to LA for business. Whatever that business is, stays within the firm. Confidentiality between lawyers and clients, remember?"

"Why are you helping me?" Kate looked at her suspiciously.

"Because its time for Lindsay to learn he does not have the power to do what he wants." Lilah replied.

"What you have is not enough evidence against him."

Lilah smiled. "Do you think I don't know that? Meet me the day after tomorrow. I'll contact you with the details. You'd have all the evidence you'll need to incriminate him."

-------------------------------------------------

_Smallville, __Kansas_

"Angelica?"

Buffy turned. "Annie…"

"You still remember." Annie hugged her tightly. "I've always wondered whatever happened to you."

At the corner of her eye, she watched Lex and Clark talk in front of Lionel's grave. She had been hiding behind a tree, wondering if she had any right to be there. The exact same reason why Buffy decided to remain in the shadows while attending the funeral.

"What are you doing here, Annie." Buffy asked the nurse who had taken care of her.

"I heard about what happened." Annie said. "I came to the funeral in hopes of finding you."

Buffy was confused. "Why?"

"You need to know something," Annie replied. "Your amnesia is temporary."

"What are you talking about?"

"The doctor who looked after you, he told Lionel your memories should be coming back soon. You've been remembering, haven't you?"

"Just fragments but I can't seem to hang on to them…"

"Probably because of the medicine."

Buffy's brows furrowed. "What medicine?"

"The medicine Lionel put on your food while you were staying with him to refrain you from remembering any further." A new voice replied.

"Lex?" He was with Clark. They had approached the two women without their knowing. "Remembering what?"

Lex looked at her steadily while Clark seemed to fix his gaze at her. "Remembering what really happened on the plane."


End file.
